Failing Logic 101 (GREAT Arianna Huffington column)

The Washington Establishment Fails Logic 101
Arianna Huffington


(snip)
Even heroes of mine like Jon Stewart and my buddy Bill Maher have hopped on the Bush bandwagon. "I've been supportive of President Bush," Maher told Wolf Blitzer this week, "now that I think Iraq is turning around. . . . He had a bigger and better idea than the rest of us."

How did this cozy unanimity come to pass? Is it something in the water, a byproduct of Bush gutting the EPA? But then I thought back to my time at Cambridge, taking a course in elementary logic, studying the Fallacy of the Undistributed Middle. For those of you in need of a refresher on the concept, here's an example from the first chapter of my Logic 101 textbook: "All oaks are trees. All elms are trees. Therefore, all oaks are elms." See how easily you can go from point A to point Z, jumping over all the important steps in between?
So: We invaded Iraq. Change is afoot in the Middle East. Therefore, the Middle East is changing because we invaded Iraq. Q.E.D. G.W.B.

(snip)

But flip the page on this "Once Upon a Time" fantasy and what's revealed is a very ugly war story--a bloody narrative we hear shockingly little about on our daily news. Maybe the four people Brian Nichols killed in Atlanta are more important than the tens of thousands killed in Iraq. Or maybe Bush's fairytales have inoculated us to the daily horrors of life over there. The dream is so wonderful that, in its name, we accept all sorts of nightmares.

In truth, I doubt the people of Iraq are going to bed with visions of Thomas Jefferson dancing in their heads. Not when their days are filled with random bombings and checkpoint shootings and kidnappings that have become commonplace. And six weeks after so many of them risked their lives to go to the ballot box, there is still no new Iraqi government in place.

What about the highly touted changes going on elsewhere in the Middle East?
(snip)

More: http://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/column.php?id=763

she used to be a repug but has gained my respect as she's moved to the 'left'.

ellen fl

thing she mentioned is about? I no longer have cable...I really hope he hasn't traded places with her!

Sometimes, not hearing the things I keep saying to myself makes me wonder if I'm the crazy one.

It's good to see I'm not alone.

:kick:

I don't know where she got the idea that he "turned" but he was in full form last night. The Wolfowitz bit he did was hilarious...